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Friday, 16 August 2013

Finding Solitude at Villa di Bella (Fitness Sicilia 2013 Series)

When I arrive at a holiday destination, I prefer to refrain from immediately throwing myself into a frenzy of activities. As it will be my home away from home, I like introducing myself to my unfamiliar surroundings, discovering its nooks and crannies, feeling it and appreciating it before I venture out into the even more unfamiliar outside its confines.I was the last one to arrive at Villa di Bella in Viagrande, Catania, Sicily on the first day of our Fitness Sicilia trip. Aside from me managing to lock us out the cottage by getting the ancient key stuck in the main door's keyhole and the villa kitchen's confusion over guests' food intolerance and allergies, everything else was hunky-dory.Whether at work, at home, or on holiday, I seek solitude. I'm not gregarious by nature, so silence renews me when I have to step out of my comfort zone into a flurry of socialising. I'm not as bad as Emily Brontë who's been said to be reclusive, but it wouldn't hurt to have an observant disposition at par with hers.

"I long,
as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself," says
Maya Angelou. The entrance to the stately main house at Villa di Bella,
and the cottage where my lovely roomies and I stayed, as pictured from a
distance.

The road less traveled

Nothing can come between me and my sleep

Enjoy the ride!

Going out of my way

Hush

A view to a well

The light's not at the end of the tunnel--it's along the walkway.

Now you see, now you don't. I haven't seen a house lizard since leaving my tropical roots. The webbed feet seen in great detail were fascinating. They looked caught by surprise.

Look at the bright side of life night.

The basin stands are of antique sewing machines', or perhaps inspired by it. I envisioned the stand as a hallway sideboard with a dark wood on top instead, but I won't complain if this were in my bathroom.

A dog called Linda (not her real name). One of us gave her the monicker, which means beautiful in Portuguese. But wasn't she Italian? Monica Bellucci would've been too obvious. She hung out with us by the pool, at body balance class, by my side while I was napping under the shade and by our cottage doorstep. She showed off her bone-gnawing skills. My friend Bryony and I witnessed her on the prowl one night. No luck. I didn't see her on the day we left the villa. I wonder if she's finally scored a date?

I guess enjoying my own company is my version of 'selfie', except that the camera is still not focused on myself :D

6 comments:

What a lovely place bu tthen again i am biased as i adore sicily! but i adore those sewing machine repurposed - i have never seen that before - how utterly clever? it must have been and looks very romantic -- even alone :)

The sewing machine wash stands were at the pavilion where the villa owners hosted a film festival one night. I strayed coz it was all in Italian and I barely understood what the host was talking about. Found these at the back! I'm a bit annoyed coz I just noticed now that one of the most important photos is missing! I'll add it later and will post it on the facebook page. I can't believe I accidentally deleted it. Have a lovely weekend x

The place looks a bit eerie, like an old Italian haunted house and I am not sure I would have managed to get a good night's sleep there. (That's me thinking of images from The Conjuring). But this looks like a perfect place to enjoy solitude. One thing I was not able to enjoy in my holiday.

Love the butiki shot. One of those little buggers generously showered me with excrement while in the province. I had to smile when I saw your shot.

That's funny coz one of my roomies said that next to that pictured bed where I slept, was a ghostly apparition one night. Apparently a woman was staring at our wardrobe and just stood close to my bed for hours. Kinda like Paranormal Activity. We left the lights on every night! I'm not suprised if that was true, but I'm glad I didn't see that ghost.

The butiki shot is one of my favourites :D Oh I remember their 'poo'! Haha. Oh dear, not nice. But thanks for liking that shot.

THE NUTTER BEHIND THIS IS. . .

Unravelling life when not dozing off during my train ride...
A book-sniffing pessoptimist restrained thinking introvert (those Facebook-sponsored personality tests can get quite addictive), I'm happy to engineer things in the background to avoid the limelight. I love lakes, rivers, G&T, and independent magazines. I went from aspiring to be a majorette when I was little to a forensic pathologist when I realised that white knee-high boots aren't chic. Sunrise, sunset, dawn and midnight, horror flicks, crime TV shows, libraries, museums, new books, black roll neck, jasmine green tea, dry shampoo, dancing, full moon, wintry beaches, mountain views, history, black and white photos, chandeliers, silence, alone time, red lipstick: these are a few of my favourite things.